Toronto FC II were back at training on Tuesday following their 1-0 win against Wilmington Hammerheads FC.
The team was happy to kick off their 8 game home stretch with a victory at BMO Field against their former affiliates.
“It’s always great to get a W at home,” said TFC II forward Mo Babouli.
“It’s always great to get a result against a team that we were affiliated with last year. It brings out healthy competition and we all enjoyed it,” he added.
3 Consecutive Clean Sheets
The team has now gone three games without allowing a goal following their victory against the Hammerheads.
“We’ve done a lot of work on the training ground addressing the defensive shape and tactical shifts, as well as the work rate,” said head coach Jason Bent prior to training on Tuesday.
“I think the boys are getting a mentality that once you get a clean sheet you want to get the next one, game after game,” he continued.
The consistent play of regular back four starters Wesley Charpie, Skylar Thomas, Adam Bouchard and Mark-Anthony Kaye has been one of the main reasons the defense has improved significantly over the last few games.
Captain Chris Mannella and Liam Fraser, both who have been assigned the holding midfielder role in the midfield diamond of a 4-4-2 formation by head coach Jason Bent, have been great in support of the back four.
Goalkeepers Alex Bono and Quillan Roberts have been stellar when called upon. Roberts has been exceptional in his last two matches: a 10-save shutout performance against Harrisburg City Islanders that earned him USL Week 12 Team of the Week honours and a standout performance against the Hammerheads that included a penalty save in the 1-0 win.
Head coach Jason Bent has been quite pleased with the performance of the team as of late and had a lot of praise for his players on Tuesday.
“They’ve been working hard for each other and our goalkeeper, the last line of defense, has been solid for us as well.”
Larger Roles for Younger Players Due to Pan Am Games
Academy players are expected to fill in roles left by TFC II players Manny Aparicio, Molham Babouli, Kevon Black, Adam Bouchard, Raheem Edwards and Chris Mannella, all of which were selected to represent Canada at the Pan Am Games.
“Over the last several weeks we’ve been trying to integrate some of the younger players in,” said Jason Bent to media on Tuesday.
“Liam Fraser, Gabby Boakye, Nicholas Osorio, as well as Stefan Vukovic have all been up training with us on a regular basis,” he added.
